Cebu lay ministers support pro-life candidates

CEBU, Philippines - Over 1,000 lay ministers from the 146 parishes all over Cebu moved to support pro-life candidates for the May 2013 elections.

Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, Archdiocesan head of the Pro-Life Advocacy and country director of Human Life International- Pilipinas said that of the recent senatorial candidates surveyed to be in the top 15, only four are known to be pro-life or anti-RH supporters.

They are Congressmen Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr., Senators Antonio Trillanes III, Gregorio Honasan and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel.

The lay ministers will be observing the National Council of the Laity Week on September 23-29, 2012, the first time in more than 50 years that the opening of the celebration will be held in Cebu.

Speakers of the event which will be held at the Mariner’s Court, Pier 1, Cebu City, include Bishop Jess Mercado, DD, the current chair of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and some national officers of the Sanguniang Laiko Ng Pilipinas.

In Cebu, the President of the Council of the Laity is Atty. Pat Acabodillo.

Bullecer added that currently, there are two main political parties fielding candidates for the senatorial slates.

Bullecer said that for the Liberal Party, of the 12 candidates, only Senators Pimentel and Trillanes are pro-life. While aside from Honasan and Enrile in the United Nationalists Alliance camp, the pro-life candidates include Congresswoman Mitos Magsaysay, PDP-Laban secretary-general Joey de Venecia III, former senator Ernesto Maceda and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia.

However, with the latest confirmation that Garcia is sliding down to run for Congress instead, the group hopes that the candidate who will replace the slot is also pro-life.

Bullecer added that although the midterm elections is still seven months away, but the pro-life group will make sure that the Filipino electorate, particularly the Catholic voters who comprise the majority of voters, will be fully educated and informed of the need to support and vote for pro-life candidates only either in the Senate, Congress and even in the local political contests.  (FREEMAN)